Kim did not sleep that night. Every small noise woke her up and she could not shake off the unrelenting feeling that somebody, or someone, was breathing down her neck. She almost considered it a miracle that she saw the next morning. But as she got up, she knew that things had taken a very dire turn. There were those… ‘Not-Police’ around, who seemed to know exactly who she was, despite the fact they should not know what she looked like. Not only that, but the one that gave chase stole her rucksack. He took her food, water and sleeping bag. All she had now were the clothes on her back, a few pounds of change she found in the jacket’s pocket and her bear. Groaning, Kim stood up and began to walk, not sure what to do.

She bought a couple of bottles of water and a small bag of fast food items from a burger chain and simply wandered the roads, looking for somewhere safe to sit. The streets were busy once again, and any flash of neon green would cause her to change direction. It was cold now, and it was only now that Kim seemed to have fully dried off from being soaked, but it now gave her a perpetual chill and a headache. All she could do was try to endure it. What if the Not-Police were also at pharmacists or doctors’ offices? Kim sighed and put her hood up. All she could try and do now was cope until something happened…

The next few days were exceedingly difficult. Kim tried her hardest to make her food last, but by day three they were no more than a pleasant memory and now, without money there was little she could do. Water was less of a problem. Kim was resourceful with those water bottles, and by taking advantage of the wet October weather. She would leave them, uncapped, overnight during a hard rainfall and, if she were lucky they would be full by the morning. If not she would refill them in sinks inside shops. Sadly, however much Kim wished it would like in that children’s book she once read, no food dropped from the sky. And she quickly learned that out of everything, it was a lack of food that made the experience completely unbearable.

By the fifth day, Kim felt worse than she ever had in her whole life. Her cold got worse, giving her a constant headache. Her throat was dry and her stomach rumbled all the time, even after she had just eaten. There was little she could do about it, other than endure it. This, grouped with the head cold and injury sustained from the kick, left Kim lethargic and dull. Some days she did not even have the energy to move from one spot. All she could do was sit, shiver and stare into space, her mind turning itself inside out with the same unanswerable thoughts. It seemed to give her a glazed look, through the fog of her mind she would occasionally hear a mother whisper, louder than she probably intended, to her children how she was an example of not why to use certain substances.  

During the day Kim moved from street to street, looking for anywhere safe to sit. She could only cope with sitting for so long before becoming too anxious and moving on. She had once tried to find a way into the boarded off entrances to the old underground subway, but had been chased away by a police officer. Kim had only ever known the subway to be closed. Tristan once said that Glaswegians often called it the ‘Clockwork Orange’ as the system only ran in a circle and the trains were tiny and orange, zipping around like RC cars on a circular track. Shame… It would have made a good place to hide. At least down there she was not at risk of being grabbed by an officer.

Night time was something else entirely. The streets were deserted and the light from the streetlamps bounced off the many buildings, making them seem distorted and creating shadows, often scaring Kim into thinking someone was there. With the shelters as a no-go, all she could do was try and find a secluded alley to hide in, either inside a bin or maybe an empty dumpster. Both stank and the plastic was exceedingly uncomfortable, but Kim knew she would rather endure that than be caught by the police or attacked by a stranger. Despite this, she could not shake off the terror of the lid being flung open and her being yanked out and thrown into the back of a van. Because of this, Kim almost never slept. She would lie awake, clinging to her bear and listening to every little noise, ready to run at any second. 

One chilly night, about a week since her last meal, Kim had taken refuge inside a large cardboard box. She curled up onto her side, shivering under her jacket, her arms wrapped around her stomach which ached and rumbled with hunger. People bustled past the alley, paying no mind to the thin girl hidden in the shadows. Kim watched the train of shoes, dogs feet and wheels of bikes for a while. It was too cold to sleep, so rather than try, she sat up and stared out at the street. Kim sniffed but quickly switched to breathing through her mouth. The funky mixture, of what seemed like old garlic pizza and mouldy gym socks put together, could easily make someone pass out. Kim wrinkled her nose and pulled her jacket further around herself. She did not have much of a choice in venue, but this alley would do for tonight. At least it seemed safe. 

A clock elsewhere struck three o’clock before Kim was tired enough to almost pass out. She slipped into an unsettled slumber. In her dreams, she was in an empty house. It was not a familiar one to her. She looked around anxiously, trying to walk but found her foot almost seemed glued to the floor. She tried to call out but all that came out was a wheeze. The hall was bright with a closed door. Suddenly, there was a slam as the door was thrown open, banging against the wall and a figure stood there, black all over with wild eyes, staring straight at her. 

The bang resonated through Kim’s head, jolting her awake. She froze, eyes darting in terror. That bang was not in her head. The street was silent now, not a person in sight. She slowly poked her head out of the box, and almost screamed at what she saw. Two figures were slinking into the alley along the walls. They were as dark as a black hole, the only colour coming from them being the shine from their eyes which were white and staring. They looked humanoid but otherworldly. They were actively looking for something, throwing bins and dumpsters open, constantly looking at each other and gently muttering. Kim gulped silently as the hairs stood on the back of her neck. Were they looking for her? Why else would they be here. What even were they? 

Holding her breath, Kim crouched frozen, cold terror sweat rivering down her body. She could only pray that if she sat silently that they would go away. Their eyes flashed as they examined the bins, their black forms slinking like the shadows they casted against the walls. The alarm bells in Kim’s head were screaming now, she had to run! These things were surely dangerous! But she had no chance of escaping them, they were blocking her only exit! Kim’s heart hammered hard against her ribs. All she could do was hope that they would get bored and leave. 

Suddenly, she felt the horrible balloon of hollowness begin to swell inside her core. Her blood turned to ice as she tried to shrink further into the already tiny box, her bear around her middle and pressing in hard, praying that it would be enough to stop the incoming racket that would surely give her away. 

It was not and Kim felt her panic spike as her stomach coiled and let out a huge rumble. 

Losing all pretense, Kim did the only thing she could think of. She leapt up and ran from the alley, not caring to look behind her. She could hear running feet, spurring to run faster. Her vision was blurred from her headache and she felt herself tiring quickly. She wanted to stop, but the fear of being caught caused her to keep going. She did not want to go back to Trudy! What if these people wanted to do worse? Were they going to kill her? Why did they want her? 

As Kim ran, she diverted down another alley hoping that she could throw them off. A scrambling of feet and the sound of bins falling told her that did not work. To make matters worse, at the end of the long alley, was a tall wired fence. She was trapped! All she could do was keep running! She had to get away from them, but how? The fence had barbed wire, she could not climb! 

Then, something bizarre happened, more bizarre than the fact she was being chased by shadow people. The faster she ran, the larger her strides became. 

The fence was getting closer and closer with every second. Shutting her eyes, Kim did the only thing she could think of. She took one more big step, and leapt! She prepared herself for the impact against the fence, but instead, she felt the wind rush through her hair and her feet leave the ground. She opened her eyes and... she was in the air! She let out a shriek of shock as she flew over the fence, and landed hard on the concrete on the other side. 

Kim scrambled to her feet, hardly believing what had just happened. That fence must have been at least eight feet tall and she jumped over it? On the other side, the two shadow figures stood, their eyes wide as if they had not believed it either. Kim did not wait for them to get their bearings. She ran ooff, not looking behind her. She did not know where she was going, only that it had to be away from them!